The Cavaliers haven’t been able to get Waiters to visit Cleveland for a workout and meeting with officials, but it hasn’t extinguished management’s ever-evolving fascination with choosing Waiters at No. 4 – especially if the Cavaliers are unable to secure Florida guard Bradley Beal.

I have Waiters as my second biggest bust candidate behind only Drummond, the guy is not very good, he at best he is a homless mans version of Dwayne "I cant shoot, so why are you playing me so tight, where i can blow by you?" Wade.

I remember when Westbrook came out everyone was saying bust and I was telling my friends 2nd coming of Dwade and that's how I feel bout Waiters as well 2ndcoming of Westbrook... Kid has mad skills and big time clutch gene

I don't think this is a smokescreen either. Waiters has a bundle of talent and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him leapfrog some "bigger names". Remember that they took Thompson at 4 last year when noone really considered him any better than top 8. I don't think Cleveland could care less on who everone else thinks they should take. Although I've loved the idea of pairing Beal with Irving, an Irving/Waiters backcourt looks damn nice too. Apparently Anthony Parker is done.

If this is true, this a simply them reaching for a 2. They really want Beal, but if they can't trade up I guess they still really want a SG. I'm not a River fan, but I do think it's strange how much GMs prefer Waiters over him.

GM"s constantly surprise me with how they get sucked into the hype with player and how other players get ripped apart for the same things they over look with other guys. Brad Beal for example cannot creat his own shot you look at all his highlights and most scouting reports and it is mentioned. Yet he is being fought over to be the number 2 pick in the draft. Harrison Barnes has same issue has better mid range game is a better athlete and at least as or higher ceiling than Beal. However with Barnes who should have to handle ball less as a small forward it is a huge red flag.

Waiters is a less athletic version of Bonzi Wells, he has created this aura that he is this great player by not working out for anybody anywhere. He didn't even do the combine athletic testing. He is an undersized 2 guard or he is a combo guard. He and Lillard look about the same size, Lillard has better body of work, did well in chicago combine, athletic tested off the charts and could easily play the 2 gurad spot if Waiters can. Why would you reach for Waiters when you just as easily take him. I am not even a Lillard fan just making the comparison.

His abililty to get to the rim on anybody and finish on anybody. His ability to take over a game offensively and defensivley.Dude he shot 50% and 36% from 3 too you act like he can't shoot. His metrics from NBA 3 last season were better than anybody in the draft besides Lillard. Get a clue.

Lol he actually shot 47% from the field don't boost it up, 47% from the field is average to good at best, not ELITE.

36% from 3 on only 3 attempts per game is not good lol do you know anything about ball? I just peeped your user name so your probably biased as hell, Waiters isn't a top 5 pick not in this draft or any other draft, sorry he's just not an elite player.

Bradley Beal shot 34% from 3..36% from 3 from somebody who isn't supposed to able to shoot is damn good so idk what you are smoking Dwayne Wade who he apparantley he isn't close to shot 20% from 3 last year so lets be realistic

Bradley Beal 42% overall 34% from 3...Jeremy Lamb 48% 33% from 3...terrence Ross 45% overall 37% from 3...Austin Rivers 43% from the field 36% from 3...Now just shut up because if those aren't good percentange for Waiters then not a single one of those guards is good. Unless, as im sure is true, you have some form of double standard because you have a closed mind and won't accept that you could be wrong.

His per 40 minute numbers blew every single one of those players out of the water last year. Every one. So what doe he do ELITELY? Scores efficiently. I guess that's not very important though. Oh and he led the nation in steals/40. Not very important either though. And he threw down more highlight dunks than ANY ONE of those SG last year. Its like the blind leading the blind on here there is no reasoning with ya

I agree that his elite trait is getting to the hoop but the stuff below doesn't matter at all.

" Oh and he led the nation in steals/40. Not very important either though. And he threw down more highlight dunks than ANY ONE of those SG last year."

Steals in a zone scheme aren't going to directly translate, plus the don't mean you're a good defender (not saying Waiters isn't, but steal numbers don't prove it). Highlight dunks are fun to watch but they don't make you better then other guys.

3 things. NBA teams implement zones or partial zone schemes often it is not unheard of. Plenty of teams/players play zone in college and many of them do not lead the nation in steals, it can't possibly be a bad thing can it? And i was just referencing the dunks because there seems to be some misconception that he is not an athletic player and when you see the dunks he threw down consistently at 6-4 it makes you think otherwise, at least it does to me.

I'm just saying most of the time teams won't be playing zone so that still factors very little into what he'll do as a pro. He's a very athletic player, with an insane build I don't know who would say he's not a good athlete.

Many people on here even on this very same post lol. I just feel like steals per game even out of a zone indicate good defensive instincts and ball skills. Syracuse pushes their zone so far out that its not a typical zone and Dion was in guys grills a lot. I know there is a difference but i still see him being a plus defender in the league.

His per 40 minute numbers blew every single one of those players out of the water last year. Every one. So what doe he do ELITELY? Scores efficiently. I guess that's not very important though. Oh and he led the nation in steals/40. Not very important either though. And he threw down more highlight dunks than ANY ONE of those SG last year. Its like the blind leading the blind on here there is no reasoning with ya

I already told you..on a side note im dumb because you said dion's shooting numbers were bad but they are better than anyone u said was better? Oooook...his ability to get to the rim and score. He is unguardable 1 on 1. He was the most efficient scorer of any of the guards last year. Any statistical analysis (i.e hollinger) has him as the #1 overall guard. He can shoot, he can get to the rim and finish better than any of these guards, and he is plenty athletic to do everything he needs to do. I honestly don't understand what there isn't to like about his game other than forming an opinion without seeing him play much which im sure tou haven't.

How hard is it to be efficent off 9 shots per game? lmao and even at that he didn't even shoot that well for 9 per game! Man you are really bias if you really think Waiters is the top SG in this draft.

You really think Waiters gets to the rim better than Austin Rivers? Really?

I've seen Cuse play the entire tourney,big east tourney and maybe 5 regualr season games, so maybe 15 times this year for your info, I never thought Waiters was a top 5 pick let alone first round, the hype with this guy just came out of nowhere, he went from borderline first round, to solid first round, to top 5 pick in a matter of hours(J/K) lol but really the hype is getting out of control.

But I will let you believe what you want, he's not the best SG in this draft, and he is in no way comparible to Dwyane Wade at all, only thing he has in common with Wade is that they are strong and stand 6'3 lol that's it.

Read Chad Ford, Read Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, John Rothstein from CBS sports...Read Boeheim and Calhoun..Read the reports from GMs and scouts in the NBA...Read how Jerry West is in love with him..You act like im making this stuff up smh man you are a ridiculous person apparantley he wasn't elite dropping 30 on cinicinatti hitting shots from 40 feet away seriously man just stfu buecause you make no sense Rivers is known for being a terrible finisher around the basket you are a joke you spew ridiculous sh*t. Yeah I love waiters and I talk about him a lot but everything i say is backed up by stats or opinions of people who are a lot smarter than me. You just ramble about your baseless opinions like they are facts off of a 6 game sample you watched of him.

Like I said being efficent off 9 shots per game is nothing to brag about, I mean ok Waiters did have some big games, but what NBA prospect doesn't have big nights in college, and I never said anything about Rivers finishing ability, I said he gets to the rim better than Waiters does, which is true. Rivers will get stronger and will finish better in the lane in the future, you can't teach an elite first step your either born with it or not.

But listen to Andy Katz,Jay Bilas,and all the other scouts, same guys who said Jimmer was better than Kemba Walker and Isaiah Thomas right?

Read Chad Ford, Read Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, John Rothstein from CBS sports...Read Boeheim and Calhoun..Read the reports from GMs and scouts in the NBA...Read how Jerry West is in love with him..You act like im making this stuff up smh man you are a ridiculous person apparantley he wasn't elite dropping 30 on cinicinatti hitting shots from 40 feet away seriously man just stfu buecause you make no sense Rivers is known for being a terrible finisher around the basket you are a joke you spew ridiculous shit. Yeah I love waiters and I talk about him a lot but everything i say is backed up by stats or opinions of people who are a lot smarter than me. You just ramble about your baseless opinions like they are facts off of a 6 game sample you watched of him.

Also, i love how you call me biased when the entire basketball world thinks the same wat that I do about him. GM's, scouts, hall of fame coaches. Don't ya think that maybe its you that is biased? That you will refuse to believe aomething regardless of all the evidence to the contrary? Yeah i think so its all good tho buddy have a good one

Like I said what does he do that's ELITE, when your a top 5 pick, you need to bring something BIG to the table and Waiters brings nothing that big to the table, I said he was good, which he is, but he's not a top 5 pick, he's not even the top SG at his position he's not better than Rivers,Beal,Lamb or Ross, which makes him the #5 SG in the draft in my book, not a top 5 pick.

By this website. All year there was buzz he could go lottery with scouts comparing him to Tyreke Evans a week into the season. He did one workout, and dominated every person there, if i read correctly. I believe I read that he was the best player there by far. It was after this that he shut down his workouts. I have said all along that these sites this one particularly were not giving him nearly enough credit. Joe Wolf recently had him going 27th lmao. Not my fault I'm right.

Having watched or attended every single Syracuse game this season, this is my breakdown on Waiters:

Strengths: Finishing at the rim, Good body, Swagger, Forces turnovers

Waiters doesn't have the best handles or shot, but he has wide shoulders and does a very good job of bullying his way into the lane, and he'll never be afraid to take any shot. He plays with a lot of swagger (which is both a strength and weakness). He also does a great job of playing the passing lanes and getting his hands on the ball.

As I mentioned before, Waiters doesn't have a great shot. His form is extremely awkward and slow, but it does have a high release point that makes it slightly more difficult to block. He can shoot out to NBA 3 point range, but he's extremely inconsistent. He had 17 games in which he shot over 50% (generally boosted up by fast break points, where he scored a ton on breakaway layups and dunks), but he also had 11 games where he shot LESS THAN 40%. That's just not good. Defensively, as I mentioned before, he plays passing lanes well and forces turnovers. However, he likes to reach in rather than move his feet, so he could become foul prone at the next level. Also, he and Scoop Jardine routinely looked completely lost in their rotations this past season. In isolation situations, he didn't appear to be a good defender. The last two weaknesses kinda go hand in hand. He routinely passed up wide open shooters and preferred to force up contested jumpers instead. Also, for over half the season, when Fab got suspended, Waiters became hesitant to drive for some reason and relied on his average at best jump shot, and his game went downhill for the next 20 or so games.

At the end of the day, Waiters has everything you want in a SG athletically, and his swagger and finishing ability are very attractive as an NBA prospect. However, he doesn't seem worth a top 5 pick to me, and maybe not even a top 10 because I think he's most likely to end up in a sixth man role. He reminds me of Rodney Stuckey.

I like Waiters, he has some tools. He very well could become a special player in the league. I dont doubt that. 2nd round picks have become multi all-stars.

However, we are talking the Draft. We are talking gambling here. This is no different than any other type of gambling. When you gamble, the odds favor the safer pick.

Me personally, I am not a real risk taker. So with my demeanor, I wouldnt pick Waiters 4th. Cleveland obviously are risk takers. OKC did it with Westbrook and Harden and it paid off. Who's to say Waiters gamble wont pay off?

I will say however, it is a huge gamble, and I dont believe scouts know much more about Waiters ability than anyone else in the draft. The fact that he didnt workout, suggests that he is even more of a mystery.